I couldn't believe it when you suggested in a recent mailbag that the Bears should look for an edge rusher with this year's first-round pick. If there is one position on this new 3-4 defense right now (and there's only one) where they have an...

INDIANAPOLIS — The NFL's defensive rankings over the last four seasons show why Bears general manager Ryan Pace and coach John Fox targeted coordinator Vic Fangio last month. His talented 49ers defenses finished in the top five in total yards...

INDIANAPOLIS — Dante Fowler Jr. smiled while chatting with reporters Friday morning. He's at ease and confident in the face of scrutiny here at the NFL scouting combine. The defensive end out of Florida likes to stay loose and a crack about his...

INDIANAPOLIS — As the Bears sort through the roster puzzle en route to free agency and the draft, it's about determining which piece best fills each specific need.
The first is going to affect the second, and agents who have met with the team at...

INDIANAPOLIS — Bears general manager Ryan Pace and coach John Fox are trying to be meticulous in evaluating the roster they inherited. Capitalizing on their fresh start together is critical before the new league year begins March 10, around when some key choices must be made.
"It is smart of us to utilize that entire time and be thorough with all these decisions," Pace said Wednesday at the start of the NFL scouting combine. "It's not just the quarterback, but everybody. Why wouldn't we be?"...

It’s not just Jay Cutler, people.
It’s Brandon Marshall. It’s everybody. It’s the entire roster.
The Bears’ garage sale is on.
Make general manager Ryan Pace an offer and you can be the lucky owner of Lamarr Houston (as is). Every defensive purchase comes with a free safety.
If you’re an NFL team seeking a classic model, then the Bears can slide you into a Matt Forte. Hums like he did in 2008. He’s worth a second-round pick such as the one the Bears used...

INDIANAPOLIS -- John Fox has yet to finalize details of the new 3-4 defense he's installing as Chicago Bears coach, but his vision for it is in place, and he shared a bit of it Wednesday morning at the NFL scouting combine.
"We’re going to be out of a 3-4 terminology-wise," Fox said. “We haven’t had our players on the grass yet. ... They’ll help us define what we’re going to be and how we’re going to use the pieces.”
The Bears have never played a 3-4 front...

PHOENIX — Possessing the same gift for gab as his brother, Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett invites recorders, cameras and notebooks.
Come one, come all. No topics appear taboo — he analyzed his wife's "booty" on media day Tuesday — and his energy seems boundless. When the spotlight is on — and it has shined brightly on him in two seasons with the Seahawks — Bennett's mouth is moving.
It's his production on the field that has kept him in focus. He has a team-high...

If you're a fan of personality, new Bears coach John Fox already has a huge leg up on, say, Marc Trestman and Lovie Smith.
"You never say, 'Today is a great day for open-heart surgery,' " Fox said at his introductory news conference, referring to the operation he underwent in 2013. "It was a little scary. … Luckily I was in a good place when it happened. I was back four weeks post-op, talking to guys on the training table, like 'That's a sprained ankle. I just had open heart surgery.' It gave...

Bears middle linebacker D.J. Williams will miss the season’s final three games, placed on injured reserve Thursday with a nagging neck injury.
Williams missed the Bears’ Week 6 victory over the Falcons with a neck issue but played in the team’s other 12 games, credited in team statistics with 73 tackles and one pass break up. His exit from the lineup will push Jon Bostic into a heightened role, likely to handle the middle linebacker duties in both the base and nickel defenses.
Bostic...